Truth in Your Lies
by VoicesOffCamera
Summary: School has just started, and Lily Evans has thrown herself into her studies and prefect duties once again. But one night she decides to take a walk by the moonlight, a little adventure of her own. But what she stumbles upon is the Maraduers' secret. And suddenly she sees these pranksters in a new light. One Shot.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter stuff. **

_Truth in Your Lies_

Lily Evans wasn't quite sure what possessed her to wander out beyond the walls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Perhaps it was because of the slowness of the night, with hardly any rule breakers for this prefect to catch, and with Remus sick in the Hospital Wing tonight there was no one to keep her company. Perhaps it was because of just how the full moon was shining on the surface of the Great Lake that made it look almost inviting.

Whatever the reason, she was now making her way around the Great Lake, smiling slightly at the calm air. It was a nice night.

As she began to approach the Forbidden Forest, she turned over the logical thought swimming in her relaxed mind to turn back. It was getting late, and she was due back in the Gryffindor Tower anyway. But she was taking her sweet time. There wouldn't be many more nights like this one. Soon winter would be upon them and it would be far too cold for this sort of adventure.

Lily giggled to herself as she thought of this little walk as an adventure. Though for her she supposed it would be. It was certainly breaking the rules, something she as a prefect would normally never dream of doing.

As she turned her back to the Forest, something caused her to pause. A sound that was coming from behind her. It almost sounded like something running through the rough underbrush of the Forest. Her heart began to pound even as she tried to tell herself it was simply the wind, ignoring her other senses that were telling her that there was no wind.

Just as she had decided to quicken her pace, something hit her from behind – hard. She fell to the ground as a stabbing pain ripped through her back. She cried out as something pinned her to the ground. She could hear growling, and knew that whatever had her was not human. She had just enough time to scold herself for wandering out here tonight in the first place before she felt the creature begin to drag her across the ground, and all complete logical thoughts disappeared. She screamed and panicked, struggling to break free but to no avail. She called for help but knew there was no one around to hear her.

The light from the moon disappeared and trees grew thicker. The pain in Lily's back was all she could think about.

Suddenly, a loud bark cut over the growling creature. The next thing she knew, Lily was free of the creature's grasp, laying in a heap on the rough ground, gasping for breath.

"Lily!"

Who was calling her? Who else could possibly be out here?

A figure faded into Lily's vision, blurred by the tears in her eyes. Strong hands grasped her shoulders, and concerned hazel eyes wandered over her trembling body from behind glasses. She knew this person.

"James?" she questioned, not quite sure if her mind was merely playing tricks on her. What in the world would James Potter be doing out in the Forbidden Forest at this time of night? Was she really that lucky?

"Everything's going to be okay," he assured her. His voice seemed calm enough, though there was a definite edge of unease and hurry. "Is anything broken?"

So he really was here. "I… I don't think so," she whimpered, flexing her muscles as she sat up with James' help.

Her eyes roamed their surroundings, trying to get her bearings. But what she saw was not a comforting sight. Only a few yards away, the creature that had attacked her was still present, wrestling with another creature – a black dog perhaps? – who yelped in pain every few seconds, clearly outmatched. Lily immediately grabbed onto James' arm in fear.

"It's okay," James insisted, sounding a bit more pressured, and seeming to force the calm tone of his voice a little more. He seemed to wince slightly every time the dog cried out, and his eyes looked a bit pained. "Just stay calm. I'm going to change into a stag. Don't panic. Just climb on when I change, and I'll get you to safety."

Lily didn't even have time to process what James was saying before the changes began. Slowly she watched the familiar trouble maker she had thought she had known so well change into a beautiful, powerful stag right before her wide eyes.

At first Lily was too shocked to react. Then, with a nudge from the stag and a glance at the brawl that was still going on so close to them, Lily remembered her instructions and climbed onto the stag's back, securely wrapping her arms around the stag's neck. The animal immediately took off, picking through the Forest with great ease and agility. In a matter of minutes, the stars could be seen overhead, and the castle appeared, quickly growing closer.

The stag didn't stop until they had reached the bottom of the steps that led up to the grand oak doors. Lily slowly slid off the animal's back, her legs unsteady under her own weight. Still holding on to the stag, she could feel as it began to change back into the boy who had rescued her.

"What…" Lily began, but couldn't decide exactly what question to ask.

James firmly grabbed onto Lily's shoulders and Lily's hands rested on his arms. "Were you bitten?" he asked, craning his head to see her back, which was visible through the shreds of her clothes, still clinging to her by the drying blood.

"Bitten?" Lily inquired, her mind slowly beginning to work again. Why would he be so worried about a bite, knowing she was injured anyway? Then it dawned on her, as her eyes wandered up to the ominous glowing orb floating in the sky. "It was… it was a werewolf?" she breathed.

"Were you bitten?" James asked again, more forcefully, ignoring her question. She met his hazel eyes, but couldn't understand. They were safe now, weren't they? Why did he seem like he was still in a hurry?

"N-no," she stuttered. "I don't think so."

James gave a sigh of relief, and then took a step away from her and the safety of Hogwarts and back in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. "I have to go," he said tersely. "You can get yourself up to the Hospital Wing, right?"

Lily was confused, and held on to James tighter, not wanting him to go, a new feeling for her. "Yes," she confirmed. "But why are you going back? Why not just leave it alone?"

"Sirius is back there."

Lily gasped and her stomach plunged. Sirius? But she hadn't seen… then it finally dawned on her. The dog that had attacked the creature. James turning into a stag. Sirius and James were both Animagi. She suddenly let go of James, feeling terrible for delaying him from helping his best friend and remembering the yelps of the dog that had helped save her life.

She watched as James took off, his features changing back into that of the stag's as he ran.

For the longest time Lily seemed to be rooted to where she stood in shock. Everything had just happened so fast. She still didn't quite comprehend it all.

Finally she turned and made her way back into the castle, her back burning and aching. The thought of a soft hospital bed was the only thing that kept her going through the four floors to the sick bay. She opened the door to the Wing and held onto it for support, gazing into the deserted room.

"M-Madam Pomfrey?" she inquired tentatively.

A light appeared in the matron's office. Lily was surprised the nurse had heard her quiet call. She was either a very light sleeper, or she had still been awake. Poppy Pomfrey emerged a moment later, dressed in her night clothes and robe. Her look went from one of sleepy curiosity to wide-awake shock.

"Lily Evans?" Madam Pomfrey gasped, hurrying to the swaying teenager's side. "Good Lord, what on earth happened to you, child?" She supported Lily and helped her into the nearest bed. Lily lay awkwardly on her side, facing the door to the wing. She offered Madam Pomfrey no explanation, as she was unsure of the details of what just happened. She didn't know where the werewolf had come from. And more importantly, she didn't know what James and Sirius were doing out in the Forbidden Forest.

Madam Pomfrey didn't seem too concerned with an explanation at the moment. Instead she dove right into inspecting Lily's injuries. Lily closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, trying to ease the pain.

Just as the matron began to dab some potions on along her cuts, the doors to the Hospital Wing burst open with a loud bang. A familiar squeak followed, as Peter Pettigrew stepped into the wing, his eyes darting around nervously as he muttered an apology for the noise. But before Pomfrey was able to scold him, James appeared in the doorway.

Lily was immensely relieved to see him standing on his own accord looking, for the most part, unharmed, save for a few small cuts and bruises on his face. But he was hunched over, oddly. As he stepped into the light of the Hospital Wing, it was revealed why. He held Sirius Black on his back, the usually hyperactive Marauder unnervingly still, his head resting against James' back, his usually elegant black hair a mess, and his eyes closed.

"James!" Madam Pomfrey almost shouted. "What in heaven's name is going on here? Put Mr. Black down and explain yourself immediately!" There was a short pause, and though the matron was still positioned behind her, Lily had a sneaking suspicion that Madam Pomfrey was looking at her. "Does this have to do with Miss Evans' injuries as well?"

James headed for the bed on the other side of Lily, back where she couldn't see. Which she did not like, for she wanted to see the extent of Sirius' injuries, feeling a bit responsible for them.

"I'll be happy to explain," Lily could hear James say. "But if you could take a quick peek at Sirius first… he's got me a bit worried…" By the sound of his voice, Lily could tell that James was more than just a bit worried.

She could hear the sound of deadweight falling onto the soft mattress behind her. Then she heard Madam Pomfrey gasp again. "Oh my…" Lily was surprised to hear such emotion in just those two words. Was Sirius really hurt that badly?

In the next moment James reappeared in Lily's line of vision. He was pale and his eyes looked a bit haunted. He was still wearing the white dress shirt that was part of the school uniform. And Lily glimpsed a bit a red on the back of it. She wondered if it was James' blood or Sirius'.

James pulled a chair up to Lily's bedside and sat down. He seemed to be concentrating very hard on Lily, and she noticed his eyes weren't straying to the bed behind her at all. Peter was hovering awkwardly by the door, clearly unsure of what to do.

"How are you, Lily?" James asked seriously.

Lily took a deep breath. "I'm alright," she said. "Or I'll be alright anyway. It's just a scratch." She winced slightly. "A particularly painful scratch, but a scratch all the same." She paused, wishing that it wasn't so quiet behind her, wondering what was going on. "What about Sirius?" she asked carefully, looking James in the eye, begging for the truth. "Is he going to be okay?"

James' eyes lifted from Lily and studied the scene behind her for the longest time. He seemed… lost almost. Lost without his best friend. But when he looked back at Lily, his gaze was comforting.

"He'll be alright," he assured her. "Sirius is a strong kid." He chuckled lightly.

"James I… I'm so sorry," Lily said suddenly, her voice shaking with emotion and tears welling up in her eyes again. "I didn't mean… I should have been… I'm just so, so sorry."

"Oh Lily," James said quickly. He reached down and held her hand, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "Don't blame yourself. It shouldn't have been a problem. You should have been able to stand out there all you want."

"What exactly happened, Mr. Potter?" came Madam Pomfrey's voice.

"I hate to tell you, Madam Pomfrey," he said, feigning remorse. "But me, Wormtail and Padfoot here were out causing trouble. You are already aware of the Marauder code, I can't tell you exactly what we were up to, but it's really not important to the cause of the injuries." Lily could tell James was struggling to keep his tone light.

He took a deep breath. "We saw Lily standing out by the lake," he continued, his voice growing more serious. "I'm assuming that she had some prefect duties. Then we saw… we saw something run out of the Forbidden Forest and grab her." He paused for a moment, giving Lily's hand another squeeze. "Sirius and I took off after them. The creature was taking her back into the Forest, but it stopped in a clearing, and Sirius picked up a stick and managed to get it off of her. I got her to safety. By the time I got back to the clearing, Sirius was… like that and the creature was gone."

"Do you know what kind of creature it was?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

James sighed and his eyes fell to the ground. "I think… it may have been a werewolf," he said flatly.

Lily shuttered, remembering what the creature looked like. She was sure it was a werewolf. And with that realization, another horrible thought entered her mind.

"Sirius wasn't… Sirius wasn't bitten… was he?" Lily stammered, afraid of the answer.

James looked down at Lily. Somehow, her question didn't seem to worry him. "I don't think so," he said calmly. "I checked him over as best I could before moving him. I don't recall any bite marks."

There was a short pause. "Well, there are a few marks that could potentially be bites," Madam Pomfrey said grimly. "But I can't tell for sure yet."

There was another pause, this one lasting a bit longer. Lily studied James' face. He seemed to be struggling internally with something. He seemed to be trying to make some kind of decision. "Madam Pomfrey?" James said finally, slowly. "I think it was Remus. I think he got lose." His eyes fell back to the ground. "Peter and I told Hagrid about it when we passed his hut."

Lily's eyes got wide. Remus? What in the world was James talking about?

James met her frightened eyes with his own reassuring ones. "Remus would never hurt you, Lily," James said rationally, his voice lowering slightly, as he was just talking to the injured girl before him. "You know that. Don't think that him being a werewolf changes anything. It just means that for one night every month he's not around for a while."

Lily was in shock. Remus, a werewolf? How could she have not known something like that? As prefects in the same year, they had become pretty good friends. Yes, Remus did seem to be a bit prone to sickness. But how could she have not picked up on such a regular disappearance?

Then she realized that earlier today, Remus had approached her, looking pale and tired. He had told her that he wasn't feeling up to doing rounds tonight, and that he was going to visit the Hospital Wing. But when Lily had entered tonight after her traumatic experience with the werewolf, the Wing had been completely deserted. Had he lied to her?

Slowly things were becoming clearer. Remus was not here. Remus was running around the Forbidden Forest as a growling, drooling, ruthless monster.

Suddenly, Lily scolded herself for thinking about Remus this way. She remembered all the good times she had experienced with Remus at her side. He was wonderful company through rounds around the school. Remus was a kind, studious boy who enjoyed having a little fun with the rest of the Marauders. What he was forced to become once a month did not change that.

He didn't lie to her. He really wasn't up to doing rounds tonight.

Lily took a deep breath, calming down and getting over the shock. Suddenly she was immensely tired from the whole night. Her eyelids sagged, and soon enough she drifted off to sleep, James' warm, comforting hand still in hers.

XxXxX

Lily blinked once. There was a glimpse of an uncomfortably bright light before darkness again. She was slowly drifting back into consciousness and becoming aware. There was a dull ache in her back, though it wasn't terribly uncomfortable.

Finally, she opened her eyes fully. She was still in the Hospital Wing, laying flat on her back. Her clothes had changed at some point. In the bed across from her, she could see a light brown haired boy sleeping soundly, a few cuts visible on his face. It was Remus Lupin.

Lily shifted her attention to the bed next to her. There lay Sirius Black, also sound asleep. His blanket had been pulled back, only reaching up to his waist. He was lacking in a shirt, but most of his chest and arms were covered in bandages. There were even a few bandages on his face. Lily's heart turned a bit at the sight, the feeling of responsibility flooding back to her.

"Remus was long overdue for a chew toy."

Lily turned her head in the other direction, to see James Potter sitting in the same seat he had been in the night before, though he was wearing clean clothes. His eyes look tired, but a comfortable smile rested on his lips.

"That's not funny," Lily scolded crossly. She couldn't understand how James could joke about something like this. "Will he be alright?" She remembered asking the same thing the night before, but wasn't sure if perhaps the answer had changed.

"Who, Sirius?" James asked, as if it weren't obvious. "Yeah, Madam Pomfrey said that he'll be fine." He paused, his eyes wandering to the other injured Marauder. "Remus will be fine as well."

"I'm glad," Lily said determinedly. "I'm glad Remus will be okay." She wanted James to know that her opinion of Remus had not changed with the new knowledge of his condition. He was still the same boy she had known for six years.

"I know you are," James said lightly.

She paused for a moment, looking back at Sirius. "So, Sirius wasn't bitten?" she asked.

James shrugged, seeming alarmingly unconcerned with his uncertainty. "I don't know for sure," he admitted easily. "I'm willing to bet that he was." Lily shot James a surprised look. Didn't he care about Sirius at all? "But it doesn't matter. Sirius wasn't himself last night either."

Then it dawned on Lily. She remembered the animals who had rescued her. "You and Sirius are Animagi," she announced.

James nodded. "Peter is too," he clarified. "But he was a rat last night, so he couldn't really help much."

"But… why?" Lily asked.

James' eyes wandered back toward Remus, and Lily followed his gaze. "You can't share a dormitory with a werewolf and not notice his regular disappearances," he explained. Lily wondered if he was avoiding the Animagus topic, but decided to listen to whatever it was he wanted to tell her. "We had Remus' condition figured out by second year. But it was… frustrating. He would come back from his transformation all battered. We wanted to help him somehow."

"Finally, we ventured to the library," he continued, a slightly amused smile on his face. Lily could understand that. It was a very rare thing to find James or Sirius in the library. "We looked up a few things about werewolves and figured out that the werewolf's bite and poison is only harmful to humans. A werewolf can't turn an animal. That's when we came up with the Animagus idea."

"But… how did you do it?" Lily wondered, in awe at the feat. "To perform the Animagus transformation… I mean, I know you're good at Transfiguration, James, but that is some really advanced stuff."

James shrugged. "I'm not going to pretend it was easy," he said. "It took us the better part of two years to finally figure it out. We wouldn't even let Peter try it until me and Sirius had it down. But last year it just sort of… clicked, I suppose."

"So, you've been going with Remus when he makes his transformations then?" she asked.

James nodded. "It's the right thing to do," he defended. "Yes, we're breaking the rules a bit. But since we've started going with him, Remus has done a lot less harm to himself. We're able to distract him, keep him occupied. And between Sirius and me, we can keep him in check, so we don't get hurt either." His eyes wandered to Sirius. "Usually anyway…"

Lily took a moment to soak in this information. "I'm sorry James," she said quietly. "Sirius is hurt because of me."

James shook his head, looking back at Lily and meeting her gaze. "Don't be sorry Lily," he said. "Sirius was safer than you last night. Like I said before, a werewolf's bite will only turn humans into other werewolves. Sirius was a dog. The werewolf's poison had no effect on him." His eyes moved to his best friend again. "It would have been a whole lot worse had that been you."

Suddenly, as if he had felt them looking, Sirius began to shift in his bed, letting out a low moan. In the next moment James was up and at his fallen friend's bedside.

"Take it easy, Padfoot," James said as Sirius' eyes blinked against the bright light in the Wing, just as Lily had. "You're a little broken, but Madam Pomfrey is going to fix you right up."

Sirius murmured something incoherent, and then barked a laugh at his own unidentifiable joke. James just smiled. Clearly he didn't know what Sirius had said either. But it didn't seem to matter. Though James had seemed unconcerned about Sirius before, there was no denying the relief in his hazel eyes to see his friend awake. He had been worried, Lily realized. He had used the joking as a shield almost. Probably a defense mechanism.

"It's good to see you Sirius," Lily said quietly. She shifted in her own bed, then slowly sat up. She felt stiff, but very little pain. "Thank you… for saving me last night."

"Don't worry about it, Lily," Sirius murmured, sounding tired. "I'm just sorry we hadn't gotten there earlier. But Moony can be very quick when he wants to be." It seemed that he wanted to say more, but his strength was waning.

"Remus usually makes his transformations in the Shrieking Shack," James explained, picking up on Sirius' train of though. "Last night, he managed to escape. There was a hole in one of the walls by the door. It was probably done by some students during a Hogsmeade trip. He had been holed up so much, that I think he got overly enthusiastic about the idea of having more room to run around… and prey. By the time we realized what had happened, he was already gone."

Just then Madam Pomfrey came bustling out of her office. "Ah, I see we're waking up," she observed. "Miss Evans, how is your back feeling? Can you sit okay?"

"Yes Madam Pomfrey," Lily confirmed. "It just feels stiff."

Madam Pomfrey nodded. "It will be stiff for a while, but you'll probably be able to leave here by this afternoon," she informed her. Then she turned her attention to Sirius. "As for you, Mr. Black," she began as she approached him. "You'll be here for a little longer, but I don't think any real damage was done. It seems you somehow managed to escape without a bite. That's very lucky."

"Very lucky indeed," Sirius agreed, with a mischievous glint in his eye.

Then the matron moved over to Remus' bed. Lily studied him. A large gash ran down the length of his face, and there were bruises on his neck. His right arm was heavily bandaged, and the rest of his body was covered by a blanket.

As Madam Pomfrey began to check him over, he began to stir. His eyes fluttered open. There were bags under his lids, and his eyes were a bit bloodshot. He looked as if he had been awake for days, which was an odd sight considering he was just waking up.

"Welcome back, Mr. Lupin," Madam Pomfrey said gently. There was a note of almost motherly affection in her voice. Probably because she had been taking care of Remus once a month for about six years now.

As the nurse wandered back toward her office, Remus seemed to be taking in his surroundings. He looked uneasy and worried, as if he already sensed that something had gone wrong last night. Lily vaguely wondered if he ever remembered anything from his transformations. She was already making a mental note to do a little research on werewolves in the library later.

Finally, Remus' tired eyes finally rested on the party in front of him. He took in James, standing between Lily and Sirius' beds. Then his eyes looked to Lily, and then finally Sirius. He had been pale before, but somehow he seemed to go even paler.

"What… what happened?" he croaked, his eyes returning to James, obviously knowing where his answer was going to come from.

James sighed, and walked over to Remus. "Now, don't get worked up Moony," James warned. "But you… got lose last night."

Remus' eyes went wide as he looked back at Sirius and Lily.

"Breathing is essential to life, Moony," James reminded, as Remus' seemingly forgot to breath.

"I told you," Remus said, his voice weak and full of emotion. "I told you it was a bad idea for you guys to come with me."

James firmly shook his head. "It wasn't our fault, Remus," he said. "There was a hole in one of the walls. Probably done by some kids messing around during a Hogsmeade visit. You found it and just took off."

"Remus…" Lily spoke up, though not entirely sure if she should. "James and Sirius… they saved me. If they hadn't been there…" Lily didn't even want to think about what might have happened.

Remus looked back at James for confirmation.

"It took us a while to react to what happened," James explained. "By the time we found the werewolf, it had Lily." Lily picked up on how James was now referring Remus' transformed state as 'the werewolf.' He seemed to be taking Remus out of the event all together. "Padfoot jumped in, and was able to distract the werewolf while I got Lily to safety. But…" his eyes wandered to Sirius. "He had a hard time controlling it without me there. So it got a bit messy."

"But I'll be fine," Sirius interjected. "I was in my Animagus form the entire time. No real harm done." He smiled tiredly.

But Remus still looked distressed. "Lily, I'm so sorry," he said.

"Don't be, Remus," Lily responded gently. "I know you would never willingly hurt me. You weren't yourself. Truly, I understand."

Remus seemed exhausted with relief. He took a deep breath, and some of his color seemed to be coming back.

"And don't even think about apologizing to me, Moony," Sirius added. "I was the one who jumped on your back. You can thank me for those bandages on your shoulder."

Lily looked at Sirius curiously. There was something in the tone of his voice. Was _he_trying to apologize without actually saying it?

It was then that Lily realized it had been a rough night for all three of these Marauders. Remus had accidentally fallen out of his safe house and the beast within him had attacked a friend. Sirius had jumped in to save Lily, but in the process he had to injure the creature, which he knew would turn back into his friend in the morning. And James had needed to get Lily to safety, and leave Sirius behind, listening to the cries – however animalistic they had been – of both his friends and knowing that Sirius would not be able to handle the werewolf on his own.

Perhaps these boys weren't as immature and shallow as Lily had originally thought.


End file.
